Internet based video streaming has becoming much more practical since the advent of broadband networks capable of supporting the high bandwidths required for the transmission of video signals. Typically, a video server or video distribution server streams a given video—which may consist of a prerecorded video program (e.g., a movie) stored on the video server, or either a real-time (i.e., live) video program or a prerecorded video program provided to and then distributed by the video server—to a plurality of clients. This is the case, for example, in Internet video broadcasting applications such as, for example, IPTV (Internet Protocol Television). However, when a plurality of clients wish to simultaneously view a video program and to also collaborate in some endeavor related to the video program, only a separate parallel and independent interactive communication process between the clients is available for collaboration purposes. For example, the clients who wish to collaborate in an endeavor related to the video program may use a teleconference to verbally discuss the video being streamed, or may use an Internet chat to send text messages about the video to each other. In any case, they are generally unable to control the streaming of the video program about which they are collaborating.
Separately, interactive digital video recording (DVR) techniques have also become ubiquitous—typically, for use by a single individual for interactively viewing a (typically prerecorded) video program. In particular, such an individual may control the playout of the video interactively by, for example, pausing the video program, restarting (playing) the video program, rewinding the video program, and/or fast forwarding the video program, at will. Although currently, the most common environment for the use of digital video recording techniques consists of a local DVR (Digital Video Recorder) device which stores the video program locally (i.e., in the same physical location as the viewer), remote digital video recording techniques, in which a network based video server stores the video program, are becoming more common.